At The End
by LipstickLullaby110
Summary: In the heat of battle, Merlin is oblivious to an oncoming attack from the enemy. Can Arthur save him in time?


_Hello, world of fanfiction writers and readers! I decided I'd try my luck and actually post some of the fics I've got stored away on my computer. Bare with me as this is the first I ever finished so I thought it ought to be the first I posted. Be kind and - hopefully - enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"Merlin!," Arthur shouted as an unimaginable horror began to unfold before him. A mysterious man stood not 30 feet away, amidst all the other angry men swinging their swords and axes or other forms of weaponry in attempt to gain victory, bow in hand and staring at nothing but his particular target – Merlin. He sheathed a long arrow from the pack upon his back and clipped the nock onto the string and pulled his wooden bow up, drawing the string tightly back as he did so, eyes never leaving Merlin's form.<p>

Merlin stood nearby in the centre of many soldiers, covered in chainmail, but entirely without any weapons. He simply held his pale hands in front of him, using his magic to ward off the men who dared charge at him. He faced the other way to Arthur, but Arthur knew that the raven-haired boy's eyes would be alight in a golden tinge that appeared when he used his magic. He was wiping out any man coming toward him by simply waving his hands, though Arthur was entirely sure that Merlin was completely oblivious to the bowed man who threatened him from afar.

The prince started to make his way toward the raven-haired boy, slashing his sword through any man who blocked his way. "Merlin!" he shouted once again, but the boy still didn't hear; the sounds of war too loud to overpower.

It was then that an opposing soldier appeared in front of him, standing only mere inches taller than the blonde, a spiked ball-and-chain swinging in his left hand with a sword in his other. He struck down at Arthur with the ball-and-chain but Arthur's quick reflexes shot into play and he quickly pulled up his shield in protection, the spikes smashing into the shield with a hard crack. Arthur didn't focus on it more than a moment and swung his sword out at the man's left leg so as to weaken his stance. But the soldier was quick and the two men's swords met with a clang.

The soldier seemed to be trying to free his ball-and-chain from Arthur's shield but the attempts appeared to be unsuccessful. He gave up and decided to just strike down with his sword. Arthur quickly freed his arm from the straps of the shield and clasped the handle of his sword with both hands, blocking the man's attack mid-air. They fought only moments before Arthur landed a strategically placed hit on the man and managed to twist the sword out of his opponent's grasp. He briefly registered his frightened face before charging his sword right through the man's torso.

Arthur withdrew his blood-smeared sword as the unfortunate man fell to the ground. He couldn't feel regret at taking the poor man's life as he was but one of the many that shared his fate. Looking ahead, Arthur saw Merlin – thankfully, still alive - and vowed that today was not the day the raven-haired man met with Death.

He looked out in search of the bowed man to find him momentarily distracted by an attack from one of Camelot's soldiers. Arthur let himself feel a brief relief, but stopped quickly. He had to get to Merlin to warn him. He started running toward his friend once again, eyes flicking between Merlin and his oncoming danger.

When Arthur was mere metres from the boy, he saw the enemy soldier strike down the man he was fighting and lift his bow once more, arrow in place and aimed directly toward Merlin. Arthur tried to run quicker, still swinging his sword to block attacks on his flanks.

He heard a soldier yell, "Kill the sorcerer!" But Arthur barely heard it. His sole focus was getting Merlin out of the path of that arrow.

"MERLIN!" he shouted with all his power as the man let loose the arrow from his bow. The sorcerer heard this time but it was too late. Arthur dove toward him, having been only a metre away, and pushed the scrawny boy's frame to the ground. Before he could reach the ground with him, he felt a sharp pain pierce his back right between his shoulder blades. He could almost feel it shredding through his most vital organ as the agony spread through him like wild fire as he toppled to the ground.

He knew at once that in saving the raven-haired boy, he had sacrificed himself.

"Arthur?" he heard his friend mutter. "What? No...no. No, no, no. You can't die." He felt the boy's hands on his back, going toward the key point of pain. Arthur winced as he felt the boy touch where the arrow had struck, even though it was only lightly. The arrow was deep and the pain was overwhelming, in every pore of his body.

He could feel the boy's fingers coil on top of his back. Merlin let out an ear-piercing shout, filled with anger and despair, and Arthur saw as a wave of men flew backwards from the point the two men were placed, causing a sort of domino effect for a few rows of the nearest men. No others charged in to replace them. It was just those two seemingly alone, the sounds of war in the distance.

"Arthur?" he heard Merlin whimper. "Arthur, can you hear me? I'm going to save you, okay? I'm going to save you. You're not going to die from this." He felt the arrow shift slightly and winced in pain. Then there was a rough pull – and a cry of pain from Arthur – and the arrow had been removed from his back. The jabs of pain were still sharp but it was nice not to have an arrow sticking out of your back.

He then heard Merlin whispering an incantation. He felt no change in his back once the boy was done. Merlin tried again, his voice rising and filled with desperation. No change. "Come on," he heard the boy say, followed by him speaking the incantation once more, louder but with no effect.

When he heard Merlin attempt a new spell, Arthur used the bits of his strength remaining to reach up and grab his friend by the arm. "Merlin," his voice was weak but he still said it that certain way he always spoke the boy's name, "I'm dying. Let me die."

Merlin looked down at him with a look of immense despair, as if his world was crumbling before him. "But you can't die, Arthur. It is my destiny to protect you. You can't die like this." There was a small hitch in his voice as he spoke that last sentence.

Arthur used his slowly diminishing energy to try and roll over to really look up at Merlin, ignoring the pain that shot through him with every inch he moved. The other boy helped him, lightly placing him on his back, most likely worried about pressuring the wound although Arthur already knew nothing could be done to help. When he looked at the boy, Arthur noticed that he looked on the verge of tears.

"Just tell me this, why did you do it?" He asked Arthur.

"I wasn't going to let you die, Merlin," he admitted with a small smile. "Believe it or not, you're actually not that bad to have around." He laughed weakly.

Merlin, despite the tears in his eyes, smiled. "Prat."

"Idiot."

They both laughed slightly, but Arthur stopped as he coughed on blood that was forming in his mouth. He looked up and saw that Merlin was holding back more tears. He was trying to be strong for Arthur. He could feel his own eyes beginning to sting as he looked at the one person he trusted most and the thought of leaving him forever.

"I'm glad you're here, Merlin," he spoke as he looked the boy straight in his deep blue eyes. "There's no one I'd rather have with me while I die than you."

He heard the boy's quiet sobs start as he clasped Arthur's hand between both of his, pulling off his glove so the boy's warmth could spread to him. "I'm here, Arthur. I'm not leaving you." He brought Arthur's hands to his lips and placed the smallest of kisses upon his palm. "When you meet you're end, I'll be here."

He could feel everything slowly slinking away but he managed to slightly squeeze Merlin's hand, hoping that small gesture would portray all the emotions he couldn't form into words. It truly dawned upon him in that moment that this was the end. His life was finishing and he would be leaving everyone he loved. He would be leaving Merlin and going into the dark unknown.

He looked toward the sky as a single tear escaped his eye and more of the pain turned into a sort of numbness within him. "I'm scared, Merlin," he admitted. He knew he didn't have long left.

"Shh, it's okay. It's alright," he comforted, tracing small circles with his fingertip upon Arthur's palm. "I'm here. It's okay."

Arthur's world was getting colder and colder. The only warmth he felt came from Merlin's hands placed around his.

He then looked straight at the raven-haired boy – the most incredible person he had ever met – knowing he would never lay eyes upon him again after this moment. "Thank you, Merlin," he whispered, voice barely audible. His time was up; he knew it. The last thing he saw before he travelled into the dark abyss was the beautiful, luminous blue of Merlin's eyes.


End file.
